Image credit: Stacey-Ann Searle, member since 2022
Art school will teach you the technical skills you need to succeed as a visual artist and university and graduate level classes will teach you the scientific thinking you'll need to understand to combine art and science into a career in visual science communication. But where do you learn the business skills you'll need? GNSI is here to help. Below, find the different types of work you're likely to encounter as a visual science communicator.
Contract Work
Contract Work (or Freelance Work) is made by an Artist, for a Client. The terms of payment, authorship/copyright, and usage of the Work are negotiated in a contract between the two parties.
Work for Hire
When Work is made "for hire," the Client will pay the Artist for completed Work, but the Client is then considered the legal author of the Work instead of the Artist.
Staff Work
When Work is made by an Artist as a staff member of an organization, the organization is typically considered the legal author of the Work instead of the Artist.
Speculative (Spec) Work
When Work is made "on spec," the Artist is betting that the Client will want the Work (and pay for it) when they see it completed. But the Client is under no obligation to accept the Work, nor must they pay a "cancellation fee" if they reject it.
COPYRIGHT OFFICES (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, European Union)
US Copyright. copyright.gov
REGISTRATION. https://copyright.gov/registration/
RECORDATION (Transfer of copyright, not registration. https://copyright.gov/recordation/pilot/)
YouTube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7gYYPMTBVY
Government of Canada Copyright https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/canadian-intellectual-property-office/en/copyright
UK Copyright. https://www.gov.uk/copyright
EU Copyright. https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/running-business/intellectual-property/copyright/index_en.htm. Links are provided to get access to national information by country.
OTHER READING
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization: Learn from the Past, Create the Future — The Arts and Copyright (Age 9-14 audience)
https://www.wipo.int/publications/en/details.jsp?id=160
Georgetown College of Law: Art Law Research Guide. (For those who like to read specific case law.)
Intro to Art Law. https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/artlaw#:~:text=Those%20involved%20in%20the%20practice,the%20interests%20of%20their%20clients
Various resources.
COPYRIGHT and ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE— Part 1: Digital Replicas, July 31, 2024. https://copyright.gov/ai/Copyright-and-Artificial-Intelligence-Part-1-Digital-Replicas-Report.pdf?loclr=blogcop
COPYRIGHT and ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE— Part 2: Copyrightability, January 29, 2025. https://www.copyright.gov/ai/Copyright-and-Artificial-Intelligence-Part-2-Copyrightability-Report.pdf?loclr=blogcop
ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE ARTS
Freelancers Union https://freelancersunion.org/
American Society of Illustrators Partnership https://asip-repro.org/about/
American Society of Collective Rights Licensing www.ascrl.org
Artist Rights Society. https://arsny.com/about/
2024–2025 ARTS AND AI TOPICS
VIMEO: PVLA: Artificial Intelligence Considerations for Artists, September 12, 2024
National Law Review: US Copyright Report on AI Delayed Until 2025 Posted Thursday, December 19, 2024
National Law Review: AI Legislation on the Rise: What Should Employers Expect in 2025 Posted Wednesday, December 18, 2024
https://natlawreview.com/article/ai-legislation-rise-what-should-employers-expect-2025
National Law Review: US Copyright Office to Begin Issuing Further AI Guidance in January 2025. Posted on Thursday, January 2, 2025
https://natlawreview.com/article/us-copyright-office-begin-issuing-further-ai-guidance-january-2025
BLOGS: CURRENT ISSUES WITH AI & COPYRIGHT
Hugh Stephens Blog: Insights on International Copyright Issues
UK: Womble, Bond, Dickinson. January 14, 2025. Government seeks responses on copyright and AI consultation
SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING
COPE: Promoting integrity win scholarly research and its publication
Proper guidance in best practices in scholarly publishing
Cope Journal Audit. https://publicationethics.org/getting-started
COPE: Free e-Learning Introduction course to Publication Ethics https://members.publicationethics.org/resources/e-learning
COPE Topics of Discussion. Accessed January 21, 2025 https://publicationethics.org/topic-discussions
TOPICS:
STM: International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers. https://stm-assoc.org
STM: IP & Copyright https://stm-assoc.org/what-we-do/core-services/ip-copyright/
STM: 2024 Permission Guidelines (updated 206 June 2024)
BOOK REFERENCES
Copyright for Creatives: A Practical Guide to Copyright Law for Creative People Who Make Stuff Paperback – December 15, 2024 by Evan M Butterfield MA, JD (Author). Publication Date December 15, 2024. Available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback
Automate Your Busywork: Do Less, Achieve More, and Save Your Brain for the Big Stuff 1st Edition, Kindle Edition
by Aytekin Tank (Author) Format: Kindle Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc Publishers. Pub Date May 4, 2023. Available on Amazon.
Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration, 2 edition. John C. Wiley & Sons, Inc
coming soon
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